


It's Nice to Have a Friend

by arborealstops



Category: 9 to 5 the Musical - Parton/Resnick
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dick is a... Dick, F/F, idk how well this is gonna work tho, teddy at it again with tswift titles, they're gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23176912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arborealstops/pseuds/arborealstops
Summary: call my bluff, call you "babe"have my back, yeah, everyday
Relationships: Judy Bernly/Violet Newstead
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. ONE

“Oh!” 

Judy yelped as she collided with another student, knocking their papers to the ground and almost dropping her camera in the process. She’d been trying to get a good picture of the sunlight coming through the leaves of the young maple tree in front of the science building, and apparently she hadn’t been paying very close attention to the students streaming around her. 

“I am so sorry,” she muttered, blushing as she quickly dropped to her knees and began gathering the girl’s papers.

The other girl knelt beside her, smiling as she shoved the papers haphazardly into a well-worn backpack covered in pins. Judy noticed a ‘Warren 2020’ button, several women’s rights pins, and what looked like a bisexual pride flag before the other girl pulled the bag away and stood. 

“Don’t be, it was my fault,” the girl assured Judy, offering her a hand. 

Judy glanced up, suddenly realizing how tall the girl was. Her hair was cut about to her shoulders, but Judy couldn’t make out much of her face- the sun was right behind her, creating a blindingly bright halo around her head. 

Judy took her hand and quickly stood, brushing her skirt off. “No, really. I- I was taking a picture, and I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going.” She fiddled with the camera around her neck. 

The other girl raised an eyebrow, and Judy quickly looked her up and down. Now that the sun wasn’t directly behind her, it was easier to make out what she looked like. Her hair was a sort of honey color, somewhere between a light brown and a dark blonde, and her eyes were pale green. She was several inches taller than Judy and wore a leather jacket over what looked like a David Bowie t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. She looked… _cool._

“What were you taking a picture of?” The girl asked, and Judy blushed again, realizing she’d kind of been staring. 

“The leaves,” she replied, pointing to the tree. “I thought the sunlight coming through them was absolutely beautiful.” She smiled softly. 

The other girl smiled back. “D’you mind if I look? At the picture, I mean?”

Tilting her head, Judy shrugged. People didn’t often ask to see her photos unless the photo was of them. Fiddling with the buttons, she quickly pulled it up onto the tiny screen of the digital camera. 

When the photo loaded, Judy wrinkled her nose, frowning. “It’s blurry,” she mumbled, showing the other girl the photo.

She studied it, then shrugged. “I think it looks cool,” she replied, smiling encouragingly at Judy. “Do you take pictures for-”

_“Judy!”_

They were interrupted by a shout from across the courtyard. Judy whirled around, her loose hair flying about, and sighed. Glancing back at the other girl, she gave a quick, almost embarrassed smile. 

“That’s my Dick,” she explained. The girl gave her an amused look, and Judy blushed. “Boyfriend. My boyfriend, Dick. I should go…” She glanced back across the courtyard. 

The taller girl grinned. “Alright,” she grinned. “I’ll see you around, kiddo.”

Judy’s mouth dropped open, her cheeks flushing at the nickname, but the girl had already turned away, laughing, before Judy could think of a response. 

\--

“So why are you working here again?”

Judy was sitting against the brick wall of the campus bookstore, with Dick standing above her eating an apple. 

She flinched slightly at his tone, but kept her voice neutral as she replied, “I need the money. I’m not made of it, you know.” She tried to smile at him, like it was a joke, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Yeah,” he muttered grumpily, glaring at the ground as Judy wrinkled her nose. “I know.”

Judy frowned, bringing her hands into her lap to fiddle with the buttons on her blouse. She’d been doing her best not to demand too much of Dick- she paid for her own movie tickets, made her own lunch, and barely ate when they went out. But it just never seemed to be enough for Dick, and she felt guilty. Hence, the job at the bookstore…

She glanced at the watch around her wrist. “Dick, I need to go,” she said softly as she stood. “I can’t be late on my first day.” 

Dick quickly helped her up, and she smiled gratefully. Straightening out her skirt, she turned to leave, but was stopped by Dick’s voice and his hand on her shoulder. 

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

The tone of his voice made Judy feel a little bit nervous, but she plastered on a smile and turned to face him anyway. “Am I?”

“I think so,” her boyfriend replied, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in for a kiss. 

Judy went along with it, kissing him back briefly, until he tried to deepen it by swiping his tongue across her lip. At that, she gently pushed him away. 

_”Dick._

_”Judy,”_ he mocked her tone, but let go of her waist. “I’ll be here to pick you up after your shift.”

Judy nodded, giving Dick a tiny wave as she hurried into the bookstore. 

Just inside the automatic doors, waiting for her, was Mr. Hart. He was an economics professor usually, but he also ran the bookstore outside of classes. He was a balding man with an impressive moustache who wasn’t known for his tendency to play nice. Today was no different than usual. 

“Just in time, Ms. Bernly,” he reprimanded her. “Wouldn’t want you getting fired on the first day.”

“No, sir,” Judy quietly muttered, anxiously fiddling with the watch on her wrist. 

Mr. Hart nodded his approval. “Alright then, since our trainer is nowhere to be found, I guess I’ll show-” he broke off, noticing someone behind Judy. “Oh! Violet, you can show Ms. Whatever Here Name is around, right? Good.”

And with that, he was gone. 

Judy stood there for a moment, shocked and a bit confused. What on earth had just happened?

“Kiddo?”

Judy whirled around at the comment behind her. “You!” She gasped, upon seeing the girl she’d run into earlier. “Are- you work here?”

The girl smirked. “Since freshman year,” she replied, holding out her head. “Violet Newstead.”

Judy bit her lip and shook Violet’s hand. “Judy Bernly,” she replied. She glanced around, then quickly blurted “I’ve never worked at a bookstore before.”

Violet grinned. “Most people haven’t,” she replied, and Judy blushed. 

“Right,” she muttered, blushing and looking away. 

“Come on, I’ll show you around,” Violet offered. When Judy nodded, Violet called toward the bookshelves, “Doralee! You’ve got the cash register for a minute.”

A small blonde girl came from between the shelves, book in hand. “Are you kiddin- oh! Nice to meet ya,” she waved eagerly at Judy. Judy offered her a quick smile, then glanced down at the girl’s shirt. It was a cute pink button-up that did a really good job of showing off Doralee’s figure. Judy crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, glancing back at Doralee as she followed Violet to the back of the store. 

“Back here is the break room, which we never really get to use, and the storage room, where Joe usually works. He’s fairly new too, he can probably help you out if you need it. And over here…”

Judy trailed after her, doing her best to learn everything she could.


	2. TWO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Violet smiled softly, and Judy studied her face for a minute. She might have thought that Violet pitied her, but looking closer she could tell that it was just that she genuinely cared. The realization made Judy’s chest warm, and she blushed and looked away._

In no time at all, Judy had figured out the routine of the bookstore. Violet and Joe were always there before her, but Judy walked to the bookstore with Doralee after their English class together. There, they worked their shifts, occasionally ate candy from the shelves by the register, and cleaned and closed up before Dick picked her up. 

Most days, that was the only time she saw Dick. They didn’t share any classes- he was a senior, she was a sophomore; he was a business major, she was a photography major; he liked sports, she liked the arts. And since she went straight from class to work, she barely saw her boyfriend. 

Some days, though, he would skip part of his statistics class to walk her to the bookstore. She tried to be excited for those days, but more often than not they resulted in her being late to work and getting looks from Violet all day. 

Today was one of those days. 

“Looks like someone’s waitin’ for ya,” Doralee teased, elbowing Judy in the ribs as they left the English classroom. Judy glanced up from the papers in her hand and sighed softly. 

“If he makes me late again,” she muttered. Doralee laughed and patted her shoulder. 

“I’ll cover for ya, just don’t be too late,” she laughed as she turned away. 

Smiling and shaking her head, Judy trotted over to her boyfriend. “Morning, Dick,” she greeted him. 

He looked up from his phone. “Oh, hey babe,” he muttered. “Hold on, I’m almost finished…”

Judy shifted from one foot to the other, glancing at the clock on the wall and trying not to be too antsy. She just didn’t want to be late for work. Again.

Dick finally looked up from his phone, just as Judy glanced back at her watch. Letting out a huffy sigh, he pushed himself away from the wall and wrapped an arm around her, one hand resting on her rear as they started walking.

Ignoring the prickling feeling of discomfort, Judy smiled tensely at Dick. “How was your day, hon?”

Dick scoffed. “There’s this girl in my statistics class, Mindi something or another, and she just gets on my nerves…”

Judy did her best to listen and be sympathetic, but at this point she felt bad for the girl. Every day, all Dick had to say about this Mindi girl was how annoying she was- and it only seemed to be because she managed to be both pretty and smart. She subtly glanced at her watch again, and sighed softly. She was late. 

Dick must have noticed her looking at her watch, because he groaned, stopping at the corner of the bookstore and leaning against the brick wall. “C’mon, babe, just skip today,” he asked her, interrupting his tangent about statistics or girls or whatever it was. “It’s just one shift.”

Judy smiled softly and shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I can’t do that, Dick, Mr. Hart would fire me.”

“But I want to spend time with you,” Dick whined. 

Judy knew what he meant, and shook her head again. “I come by your apartment every night,” she replied. “You’ll see me in a few hours.”

Dick rolled his eyes, and Judy raised up onto tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll see you after work.”

She turned to walk away, but stopped as Dick’s hand clamped down on her wrist. “Wait.”

She did her best not to wince as she turned back to face Dick. “Hm?”

Dick raised an eyebrow and pulled her toward him, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in for a rough kiss. Judy let out a small whimper of surprise, but she couldn’t very push him off, so she let him kiss her. When she felt the brick wall against her back, she tensed, feeling a little trapped. She couldn’t help worrying that Mr. Hart or one of the girls would see her and she’d end up fired. 

Gasping for air, Judy pulled away from Dick slightly, attempting to at least get him to quit sucking her face off. But Dick just took that as an opportunity to move his mouth to her neck, kissing and nipping at her. Judy turned her head, trying to catch her breath, but the air escaped her lungs as she made eye contact with Violet through the glass doors of the bookshop. Her face flushed red and she squirmed, embarrassed. 

Dick finally pulled back. “Judy?”

“I have to get to work, Dick,” she mumbled, casting her gaze downward. 

Dick let out a huff of breath. “Fine,” he muttered, sounding angry. Judy pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and turned away, waving as she entered the building. 

“Hey kiddo,” Violet greeted, and to Judy her voice seemed almost mocking. She glanced quickly to where Violet stood behind the counter and saw that her gaze looked more worried than antagonistic. Still, Judy didn’t reply, just stashed her bag in the breakroom, pinned on her nametag, and got to work, trying not to rub the wrist Dick had grabbed. 

\--

It was nearly five before Violet tried talking to Judy again. 

“Hey,” she said softly, walking up behind Judy and interrupting her sweeping. Judy looked up but didn’t say anything. 

Violet tried again. “Kiddo. Judes.” She sighed. _”Judy.”_

Judy finally stopped sweeping to look up, still not meeting Violet’s eyes. “What?” She asked quietly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Violet frowned. “Are you okay, kiddo?” she asked worriedly. 

Judy shrugged, leaning against a bookshelf. “Why wouldn’t I be?” she replied, then immediately felt guilty for snapping at her. “Sorry,” she sighed. “Just tired, I guess.”

Violet looked worried for a second, but covered it quickly. “I’m sorry if I made things- if he- if that was awkward. I didn’t mean to-”

Judy quickly cut her off. “No! No, Violet, you didn’t do anything, promise.” 

Violet still looked worried. “Are you sure?”

“Cross my heart.”

When Violet continued to look skeptical, Judy solemnly crossed an X over her heart, staring dead into Violet’s eyes. 

Violet let out a laugh, and Judy cracked a tiny smile, happy she’d made her friend laugh. “I promise, Vi, I’m alright.”

Violet smiled softly, and Judy studied her face for a minute. She might have thought that Violet pitied her, but looking closer she could tell that it was just that she genuinely cared. The realization made Judy’s chest warm, and she blushed and looked away. 

Just then, Doralee shouted up from the front of the store, “Five o’ clock, girls!” 

Jumping, Judy leaned the broom against the bookshelf and headed toward the front of the store, acutely aware of Violet following behind her. 

Doralee was waiting for them by the register, one hand on her hip. “Y’all look like you could use some time outta here,” she said, smiling at Judy. “Why don’t you two get on outta here and I’ll close up?”

Judy went to protest, but before she could say anything, Violet was handing her her bag. “C’mon, kiddo. Let’s go before she changes her mind.”

Judy just gave Doralee a grateful grin and took her bag, following Violet outside. The smile dropped off her face, though, when she realized that Dick wasn’t waiting for her in the parking lot. 

Judy glanced at her watch. _4:58._

“Do you have a ride?” Judy looked up, and found that Violet was suddenly standing right in front of her. Her breath hitched. 

“No- well, I- yes,” she stammered, then took a deep breath, closing her eyes to focus on her answer instead of Violet. “I’m sure Dick is just running late.”

When she opened her eyes again, Violet was giving her that same caring look that she had given her earlier. “Do you want me to give you a ride?”

Judy chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. If she went with Violet, she would get to Dick’s dorm sooner, and he wouldn’t be mad about her being late… but if she went with Violet and Dick came for her, he would be more upset than if she was late. And if he never showed, she could just walk to her own dorm, which was a lot closer…

She shook her head. “I’ll just wait,” she replied. “I wouldn’t want to leave with you and have him come for me just to find me gone. He’d get- well, he’d worry.”

“Well then, I’ll see ya tomorrow, kiddo,” she said, giving Judy a teasing grin. 

Judy grinned back, her nose crinkling. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Vi.”


	3. THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is past midnight, no one has read this, please let me know if i screwed something up a lot here :)
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated <3 love y'all

It was a Friday, the last Friday before winter break, and the bookstore was closed all day. Judy was quietly chit-chatting with Doralee in the back of their English class as the rest of the class finished their writing assignments. 

“Are you going home for break?” Judy whispered to Doralee as she doodled stars on the corner of her notebook.

Doralee grinned. “Yes ma’am,” she replied, looking excited. “I’m goin’ to see my sister and her little girl. I haven’t been down there since she was born.”

Judy nodded, remembering when Doralee had left for a few days to meet her niece. Those days had led to a lot of Violet goofing off in the breakroom while Judy pretended to be mad at her and Joe ran most of the bookstore. It had been a fun few days, even if Joe had gotten a bit annoying. 

“What about you, Judes? You goin’ home?”

Judy came back to the present and shook her head. “My parents’ anniversary is during break and they’re taking a trip together to celebrate. I’m going to visit them at spring break instead.”

Doralee’s response was cut off by the professor asking them to hand in their papers on their way out, and reminding them to have a good break and not forget that finals would be soon after they came back. Judy grabbed her notebook and textbook and handed in her paper, waiting for her friend in the hallway. 

“Hey Judy!” Doralee’s boyfriend, Dwayne, was walking toward her, his wavy hair falling in his face. Judy grinned and waved to him. 

“Doralee’s talking to the professor, she’ll be out- well, there she is!” Judy smiled as the blonde joined them, tucking a paper into her binder. 

“Well, hey there, Dwayne,” Doralee smiled, tossing a short blonde braid over her shoulder and kissing Dwayne’s cheek. “What’re you doin’ all the way over here?”

Dwayne grinned goofily. “What, I can’t come pick up my girlfriend from her English class?” He playfully tugged Doralee’s braid, and she swatted at his hand. “Nah, I finished my stats test early and wanted to come see you.”

He wrapped an arm around Doralee’s waist and kissed her forehead quickly. Judy watched them with a small smile, blushing and looking away as Dwayne looks back at her. 

“Are you staying here over break, Judy?” He asked, taking Doralee’s books and holding his hand out for Judy’s. 

She gave him a grateful smile, handing them over and giggling as he pretended to balance them on his head. “Yeah,” she laughed. “My parents are celebrating their anniversary and my aunt lives near here, so I’ll probably go see her sometime- I haven’t seen her in a while, and she invited me to come visit. Plus, she makes the best latkes, and I don’t want to miss out on that.” 

“Oh!” Doralee suddenly stopped walking. “Judes, I meant to tell you- I’m not leaving until Monday, and I was wonderin’ if you and Violet might want to come over for a movie night?”

It wouldn’t be the first time. Doralee had had Violet and Judy over to her on-campus apartment for weekend sleepovers and study sessions several times over the course of the semester. Basically, anytime Dick let her have a night off, Judy was at Doralee’s apartment. 

She nodded. “Tonight?”

Doralee grinned. “Yep. And you’ve got popcorn duty this time.”

\--

Violet is the last one to the apartment. Judy and Doralee were already spread out on the couch, munching on popcorn and debating Disney princesses. 

“Listen,” Judy argued, shaking her head and grinning. “Tiana is great, but Elsa is clearly the superior princess. I mean, she didn’t even need-”

She was cut off by a knocking at the door. Doralee hopped to her feet, going to welcome Violet, and Judy rolled her eyes. “Saved by the bell- or, door, I suppose,” she sighed in playful irritation. 

“Who did I save from what?” Violet asked, her lanky form flopping onto the couch next to Judy. She tossed her sweatpant-clad legs over the armrest and laid her head in Judy’s lap, grinning up at her as she stole a handful of popcorn. 

Judy blushed and rolled her eyes. “Just Doralee from my argument that Elsa is the best Disney princess.”

“And who does she say is the best?”

“Tiana,” Doralee replied, plopping down on the floor in front of them. 

“Well,” Violet tossed a piece of popcorn in the air and attempted to catch it in her mouth, snorting when it hit her in the nose instead. “I hate to be controversial, but I have to agree with Judy on this one.” 

Doralee stuck her tongue out petulantly. “Fine. But since I lost, I get to pick the first movie, right?”

Violet reluctantly agreed, sitting up and scooting toward Judy to open up a space for Doralee on the couch. She grabbed another handful of Judy’s popcorn, grinning as Judy snatched the bowl away. 

“Come on,” she whined, leaning across Judy’s lap. “Share? Please?” She looked up at Judy with her best puppy eyes, pouting until she finally relented. 

The three of them curled up on the couch, wrestling over blankets and popcorn as first The Princess and the Frog (Doralee’s choice) then Mamma Mia (Violet’s choice) played on the television in front of them. They sang and they laughed and they giggled, finally calming down by the end of the second film. 

“Alright, Judy.” Doralee stretched as the credits rolled across the screen. “Your turn.”

“Wait!” Violet interrupted Judy’s thoughts, cutting off her reply. “I brought a little something for us to share…”

Judy raised a curious eyebrow as Violet reached into her sweatshirt pocket and pulled something out. 

“Just as a little pre-break relaxer,” she grinned, revealing a joint resting in the palm of her hand. 

Doralee’s eyes lit up, but Judy looked wary. “Is that… marijuana?” She asked hesitantly, although she wasn’t sure what else it would be.

Violet giggled and nodded, but her expression sobered a bit when she saw how nervous Judy looked. “We don’t have to,” Violet quickly assured, closing her fist. “It was just an idea.”

Judy bit her lip, staring at Violet’s closed hand for a second, then looking up and meeting her eyes. It wasn’t the first time she’d been offered pot- Dick’s friends always seemed to have some on them- but Dick himself had always preferred alcohol, and Judy had usually had to stay sober enough to get them back home. But this time, they were in Doralee’s apartment, safe and sound and with, honestly, no real reason not to. So she shrugged. “I could… try it.”

Doralee let out a little cheer and Judy blushed as Violet lit the joint. She took a drag and passed it to Doralee, who did the same before offering it to Judy. She carefully took the joint between her fingers and held it to her lips, trying to imitate what Violet and Doralee had done. She took a small drag, and only coughed a little bit. Violet gave her a quick grin, and she smiled, feeling strangely proud of herself as she passed the joint back to Violet. 

They passed the joint around a few more times, and Judy could feel her brain going fuzzy when Doralee suddenly remembered something. 

“Judes!” She exclaimed. “You have to pick a movie.”

“Oh,” Judy replied dully, resting her head on Violet’s shoulder. “Um…”

Violet giggled, and Judy stuck her tongue out. 

“The Little Mermaid,” she finally replied, scooting closer to Violet. She glanced down at her hand. “My fingers are tingly.”

Violet burst into laughter, and Judy joined her a moment later as Doralee started the movie. 

\--

The joint didn’t last long. By the time the movie got to ‘Les Poissons,’ Judy was, well, stoned. 

Doralee had fallen asleep, and Judy was snuggled up against Violet, practically in her lap. The feeling in her fingers had not returned in the slightest, and she found herself running them over the hem of Violet’s sweatshirt as they watched the movie. 

She was just coherent enough to perk up when ‘Kiss the Girl’ began. “This is my favorite song,” she muttered. She quietly hummed along, a soft smile on her lips. 

Feeling Violet’s gaze resting on her, she looked up and blinked, surprised at how close their faces were. Normally, Judy might have freaked out, but instead she stared, wide-eyed, into Violet’s eyes. 

They sat there for a moment, just gazing at each other, before Violet finally broke the stillness. “Bambi.”

Judy tilted her head, even more confused than she had been. “Bambi?” She repeated.

Violet nodded slowly. “You remind me of Bambi,” she explained. Or, tried to. It still didn’t make sense to Judy, but she decided to take it as a compliment. 

“Thank you.”

Violet nodded. “You’re welcome,” she replied, running a hand through Judy’s hair as she went back to resting her head on Violet’s shoulder. She kept stroking her hair until Judy fell asleep and her own eyes began to droop closed.


	4. FOUR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is for hollie because i swear she's the only reason i actually managed to keep working on this fic. plus she made an amazing bernstead playlist that i listened to the whole time i wrote this.

Campus apartments were not big. Judy knew this- Dick's was barely big enough for him, hence the reason Judy stayed in a dorm room. The apartment, Dick had told her, was nowhere near big enough to house the both of them. Her clothes would take up too much space, and the bathroom sink really didn't have room for all of her things. There just wasn't enough room. 

And Judy had believed him, had gone along with it, had brought her own bag every time she stayed over, had done her very best to make herself as small and out of the way as possible. Now, though, she couldn't help wondering if she hadn't been able to live with him because he needed to run traffic control. After all, in such a small apartment, it was difficult to keep one girlfriend hidden from the other. 

Judy choked back a sob as she recalled what she had seen. She'd gone to grab a book she'd left in Dick's apartment- sitting by herself in her own dorm room could be boring, especially when most of her friends were on vacations over break. Dick was supposed to be at his grandma's for dinner, so Judy had used the spare key to let herself in.

There had been a light under the door, which had confused Judy a little bit. She was almost sure she’d shut all the lights off when they left the apartment that morning, but maybe she’d missed one. Or maybe Dick was back early…

Removing her jacket and opening the door, Judy stepped inside the apartment. “Di-”

And the words had died in her throat. Because, in front of her, was her boyfriend. And, pinned against his wall, with his lips on her neck and her hands on his waist, was… some girl Judy had never seen before in her life. 

A choked squeak escaped her lips, and Judy dropped her jacket. Dick’s head turned, his dull gaze shooting in her direction, but by the time he realized what was happening, Judy was gone. 

She’d cried as she stumbled down the several flights of stairs and out into the cold, her vision blurry. It wasn’t until she was outside that she realised that not only had she left the book in Dick’s apartment, she’d left her coat there, too. The realization only made her tears fall faster, and she slipped on a patch of ice she hadn’t noticed. 

She landed on the sidewalk with a whimper, barely noticing the cold snow soaking into her jeans. She’d been walking blindly, unable to see through her tears, and now she sat on the ground, sniffling and wiping her eyes. 

It was getting dark, so Judy pushed herself to her feet and looked around. For whatever reason, she’d wandered in the direction of the bookstore- whatever felt comfortable, she guessed. Plus, it was the one place on campus that didn’t remind her of Dick at all. Unfortunately, her dorm was a good twenty minute walk away, and she didn’t have anyone to walk with.

She almost burst into tears again, but a light flicked on in the window of one of the nearby buildings and Judy sniffled as she recognized the other dorm building- the one Violet stayed in. Her teeth chattered as she stumbled forward, hoping Violet would be in her room.

\--

Violet answered the knock without even looking to see who was at her door. Chances were, if whoever it was had any ill will, they probably wouldn’t bother knocking on the door before coming in, right?

“Hey- Judes?” She froze for a moment, shocked to see her friend standing in her doorway, soaking wet and shaking. “Judy, oh my gosh, get in here!”

She pulled her inside quickly, closing the door and shoving the pile of books off of the tiny couch in the corner of the room. She gently pushed Judy into the space she’d cleared. “What- why-” She took a deep breath. “Do you want to change out of your clothes? I’m sure I have an extra sweatshirt or something…” She trailed off, already digging through her clothes.

Judy sniffled, curling into the corner of the couch. “That would be… nice,” she replied weakly, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the wall.

Violet could feel her heart shattering- she didn’t even know what had happened, but she’d do anything to make Judy smile again. This wasn’t normal- Judy was usually the most cheerful person she knew, and seeing her this torn up was breaking Violet’s heart.

She quickly found an oversized sweatshirt and some flannel pajama bottoms, carrying them over to Judy. “Judes, love, why aren’t you wearing a coat?” She asked gently.

Judy looked up at Violet, her eyes taking an extra second to actually focus on her. “I- I dropped it,” she replied, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Violet started panicking slightly. She hadn’t meant to make Judy upset, just to try and figure out what had happened.

“Hey, Judy, it’s okay.” She glanced behind her at the clock. It was almost six thirty. “Have you eaten dinner?”

Judy shook her head silently, and Violet sighed. Carefully, she grabbed her hand- it felt like an ice cube. 

“How about you go change, and I’ll heat up some of my leftovers, okay? I’ve only got rice and some corn left, I had pork for dinner and I know you can’t-”

She broke off as Judy suddenly wrapped her arms around Violet’s middle, burying her face in her sweatshirt. “Thank you,” she mumbled into Violet’s tummy, and Violet felt her heart melt.

“Of course, Judes.” She petted her hair gently before pulling Judy to her feet. “Go ahead, get changed. I’ll get your food.”

\--

Sitting on the floor of Violet’s tiny bathroom, Judy felt the tears welling up in her eyes again, but for a different reason this time. Violet had already done so much for Judy, just letting her in that night. She didn’t even know why Judy was out and she’d let her in, given her clothes, and was feeding her?

She couldn’t help comparing Violet to Dick. She knew they were two different situations- Dick had been her boyfriend, and Violet was, well, a girl- but she couldn’t help noticing that Violet was so much kinder and more helpful. 

Sniffling, she wiped her nose and stood. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she changed and quickly looked away. She’d never been a big fan of her body- the stretch marks on her thighs, the softness of her tummy, the width of her hips. Dick had always gotten on her to eat better and watch her weight and that only added to her insecurities. 

Her hair was damp, too, so she pulled it out of its customary ponytail and let it hang around her shoulders, the baby hairs frizzing slightly around her face. Judy pulled Violet’s sweatshirt over her head and paused for a moment, breathing in the slight scent of Violet. It was a comforting smell, one that made her relax slightly. She was still holding the sweatshirt to her face when Violet knocked on the door.

“Judes? You okay in there?”

She flushed bright red, gathering up her clothes and opening the door. Violet stood outside, leaning against the wall, and Judy gave her a weak smile. “Thanks.”

Violet nodded. “Anytime, Judes. There’s some food on the counter and I- I made some cocoa, too.” 

Judy felt her eyes welling up with tears again. She bit her lip to keep it from trembling, then took a deep breath. “Thank you, Violet.”

Violet smiled, and Judy returned the expression, slightly stronger this time, and followed her into the kitchen. 

Grabbing her plate and mug, she curled back up on the couch. “I’m- I’m sorry for barging in on you, Vi. I just… it was dark, and I was by myself, and…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Violet replied, sitting next to her with her own mug. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Judy smiled. 

\--

It wasn’t until she’d finished her food that Judy finally spoke again. 

“I- Dick- we broke up.”

Violet had sort of been expecting that that was the reason Judy had been such a mess that night. She’d never seen her so distressed before, so she’d known it must have been something big.

“Oh, Judy, honey…” Gently, she pulled Judy into her arms, letting her sniffle there for a moment. She might not have been a big fan of Dick, but she could tell that Judy was clearly distraught over the breakup. “What happened?”

Judy couldn’t seem to meet her eyes. “He… I saw him with another girl,” she finally mumbled.

Violet tensed. That… _dick._ Not only was he a jackass, but he’d cheated on Judy- Judy Bernly, the sweetest girl on campus, someone who would do anything for the people she cared about? No one in their right mind would cheat on Judy.

She took a deep breath. That line of thought wouldn’t help Judy right now. She rubbed the younger girl’s back comfortingly. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” she whispered, hugging her even tighter. 

Judy sniffled into her shoulder for a moment before finally pulling away and looking up at Violet. “Vi… what did I do wrong? Why-” Her voice broke as Violet shook her head.

“Judy, that is not your fault. You are absolutely the most wonderful, smart, sweet girl on this campus- hell, in this _state._ Anyone would be lucky to have you- Dick is stupid for letting you go.”

She used the pad of her thumb to brush away a stray tear. Judy sniffled and snuggled up to her again. 

Violet sighed. “Come on, Judes. Let’s watch a movie or something. You’re staying here tonight.”

Judy seemed too exhausted to protest as Violet turned on the television. She snuggled up to Violet, her eyes drooping shut within the first half hour of the movie. Carefully, Violet draped her blanket over Judy, then extracted herself from her embrace. She laid Judy’s clothes out to dry, then checked on her one more time.

She looked beautiful, lying there on Violet’s couch, barefaced and smiling softly in her sleep. Violet smiled at the sight, then flipped the lights out and crawled into her own bed.


End file.
